"First game jitters" sink girls basketball

Despite excellent free throw shooting and solid defense, the girls' basketball team's offense was silent in their season opener, falling 39-27 to Magruder High School.

Junior Lara Dean was the Blazers' most consistent player, making 6 or 8 free throws and controlling the game's tempo. Sophomore Emily Ramsey added six points of her own, but the team shot poorly overall from the floor.

Blair's 25 turnovers were the key to their collapse, with 14 coming in the first half. Magruder's full-court press trapped the Blazers, who were unable to pass out of the back court.

By the end of the first half, Magruder had jumped out to a 19-9 lead, with Blair hitting only four field goals. The third quarter was extremely frustrating for the Blazers, who went dry offensively, scoring only on free throws by Dean and Ramsey.

A late surge brought the team within seven points, as Ramsey and sophomore Caroline Kuttner patrolled the post, making key defensive stops. Still, their efforts, along with Dean's clutch free throw shooting, were not enough to get back into contention.

Kuttner felt that the team's poor play, especially their abysmal shooting, was not representative of the strides they made during the off-season. "We had plenty of open looks. I think it was a lot of first game jitters. But we have the rest of the season to make it up," said Kuttner.